When Derrick Thomas stepped onto the campus of the University of Alabama in 1985, he was a quiet, polite, kid out of Miami, Fla., who was always quick with a smile.

When he hit the field, there was nothing polite about the way he hit you and nothing quiet about the intensity in which he played the game.

Nothing made him quicker to smile than laying a thunderous lick on an opposing quarterback. Something he would do quite often during his time at Alabama and his later NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Coach Ray Perkins had seldom ever seen a player who hit the practice field with the energy level of Thomas. "Over my coaching career, he was one of the few guys I saw who gave it every single thing he had on every ...

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